How to Sell Used Clothes at the Flea Market

by Angela Tague; Updated September 26, 2017

If you're tired of having garage sales and haven't had much luck with clothing consignment shops, consider renting a booth at a flea market. These spaces for secondhand wares aren't just for displaying antiques and collectibles. Both modern and vintage clothing will catch the eyes of browsing customers. To get the highest profit for your used clothing, spend time preparing them for presentation. This could bring in one-third to one-half of the price when the garments were new.

Items you will need

Clothing hangers

Sales tags

Safety pins

Step 1

Wash and iron all clothing. You want the garments to look fresh, clean and ready-to-wear. Loop the buttons, zip the zippers and close the snaps. Tie the bows and clasp the belts.

Step 2

Place the clothing on hangers. This makes tops, pants, dresses, skirts and shorts easier to browse, and keeps your flea market booth tidy. Folded clothing can easily fall on the floor and get dirty.

Step 3

Price each piece of clothing. Attach a sales tags using a safety pin. Follow all flea market rules for tagging items for sale. If you aren't there to barter, don't assume the market owner will negotiate prices for your items.

Step 4

Rotate the clothing often. Make your booth look fresh and new by placing seasonal items at the front. Change the featured pieces hanging around the perimeter of the booth every few days.

Step 5

Display items with new tags and brand names. Place these in hard-to-miss areas, such as display windows or at the front of the booth.

Step 6

Write a description for special or uncommon clothing. Explain the history of an vintage garment or that a formal gown has been altered; the tag may say size 12, when it really fits like a 10.

Tips

Before renting a booth at a flea market, get all terms in a written contract. Know what percentage of your sales the market will take, the cost of a monthly or daily booth rental and if you must adhere to market-wide promotions.

Resources

About the Author

Angela Tague writes marketing content and journalistic pieces for major brands including Bounty, The Nest, Lowe's Home Improvement and Hidden Valley. She also provides feature content to newspapers and writes health and beauty blogs for Daily Glow, Everyday Health and Walgreens. Tague graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications in 1999.

Photo Credits

Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images

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Tague, Angela. "How to Sell Used Clothes at the Flea Market." Bizfluent, https://bizfluent.com/how-2242413-sell-used-clothes-flea-market.html. 26 September 2017.

Tague, Angela. (2017, September 26). How to Sell Used Clothes at the Flea Market. Bizfluent. Retrieved from https://bizfluent.com/how-2242413-sell-used-clothes-flea-market.html

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